book tag

The Fantasy Tropes Book Tag

Tea Corner (Blog)

Happy Thursday morning!
Today’s post is going to be another book tag!
I was tagged by the lovely Danni over at For Books Sake! Make sure you give her blog a visit too 💯
Thank you Danni for the tag ❤

Rules:

  • Mention the creator ( One’s Peculiar )
  • Answer the questions
  • Tag as many people as you like
  • HAVE FUN!

1 – The Lost Princess – A book/series you lost interest in halfway through.

Harry Potter.
I only made it up to book 5, I believe, though book 4 was my most vivid.

I quite enjoyed reading those books as a kid, not because they were particularly good books, but because I felt cool being this pint of a child carrying around a tome of a book. But by the time I was in high school, I started to find other books more fun (nonfiction science books and history books). Then I started college where I completely stopped reading (for fun) to focus on studying and by the time I finally picked up a book again, post graduation, I just simply lost interest with Harry Potter and didn’t care for the writing or plot anymore. I know how the series ends. I know who dies. And that’s enough to satisfy my curiosity.

2 – The Knight in Shining Armour – A hyped book/series you were swept up by.

You know what? I have such a backlog of books I want to read that I haven’t actually made it to the latest hype books that have been circulating BookTwt or BookTok! Though…Prince of Thorns was pretty popular and I loved Mark Lawrence’s Prince of Fools so I might enjoy Prince of Thorns. But for truly reading and getting swept up by a hyped up book/series? Not yet.

3 – The Wise Old Wizard – An author who amazes you with his/her writing.

A recent new discovery and new author for me, I quite enjoyed reading Adrian Tchaikovsky’s Shards of Earth, so much so that I’m sitting here eagerly waiting for the second book of The Final Architects series. The book and the writing blew me away. So, here I am, low-key stalking the series 👀

4 – The Maiden in Distress – An undervalued character you wished had a bigger storyline.

The Shattered Sigil Trilogy has two main POVs, first person (Dev) and third person (Kiran). Dev has a friend, that Kiran eventually grows closer to too, but I don’t believe she has her own POV chapters, or if she did, it’s not enough, compared to the main two (it’s been a year or two since I last read the books). I love the trio, though most of the books revolve around Dev and Kiran so it’s understandable. Still, I’d love to read more about Cara and hoping I’ll see more of her in the final book.

5 – The Magical Sword –  A magical item/ability you wish authors used less.

I don’t think I’ve ever wished for an item or ability to be used less so I’m not sure for this one.

6 – The Mindless Villain – A phrase you cannot help but roll your eyes at.

Is there anyone who is going to say anything other than the “Held a breath they didn’t know they were holding”? I used to think it was a YA thing but now I see that it’s everywhere. This phrase is haunting me!

7 – The Untamed Dragon – A magical creature you wish you had as a pet.

Ah, my favorite question on here!

When I was a kid, I drew up a continent map made up of countries, different religions, leaderships, different local delicacies (you name it)…and of course different creatures! Amongst them (albeit still rare) were cat sized dragons! They were the spicier versions of dogs, but less so than cats. One of my OCs had one named Apple, a runt even amongst his species of “micro-dragons” who loved eating apples, resting on his owner’s hair and using it’s tail as a scrunchie. His favorite place to sleep was in the fire of the fireplace. There’s a special orb that can change a mico-dragon into a much bigger one and my OC would ride it like a dragon rider, striking from Apple’s back with his lance and…and I could talk all day about it.

(Listen. I put nearly 2 decades worth of thought into my imaginary world!)

8 – The Chosen One – A book/series you will always root for.

[Not a fantasy series but] My favorite series that I’ll always love and definitely always root for would be the Virgil Flowers series by John Sandford. I’ve read 9 out of the 13 books and I hope they never stop coming.

Tagging:

Mid-Year Reading Check In Tag

Tea Corner (Blog)

Oh the grand weekend is here again!

Happy Saturday, everyone!
Today’s post is going to be my response to the Mid-Year Reading Check In Tag. Thank you so much to Danni over at ForBooksSake for tagging me! Make sure you take a look at her lovely blog too!

How much have you read?

I’ve read 11 books and my goal is 25 so I’m slightly behind schedule. With one of my audiobook reads coming to a close, I’m hoping that I can start closing that gap in the near future.

What have you been reading?

I’ve definitely started reading more audiobooks because I realized how great of a work companion they can be. They help make the workday go by at lightning speeds. I’ve also noticed that my latest reads have been mostly indie or self-published books and I’ve been really enjoying them.

Best book you’ve read so far in 2021

I’ve had a few solid reads this year, but I think I would have to hand this one to Shards of Earth by Adrian Tchaikovsky, though The Lore of Prometheus by Graham Austin-King came in at a close second. Both books were from blog tours, too!

Best sequel you’ve read so far in 2021

I’ve only read one sequel this year and it wasn’t exactly a favorite of mine, though it wasn’t a bad book. Still, I didn’t read enough sequels to pit anything against each other.

New release you haven’t read yet, but want to

Most definitely, I’m most looking forward to digging into Ocean Prey by John Sandford. I’m putting it off until I catch up a little more of the series (almost there), but I’m really REALLY excited for it. It’s sitting in my bookshelf staring at me, everyday.

Most anticipated release for the second part of the year

I’m constantly finding new authors, so my TBR and anticipated reads usually tend to be for books that are already published or sometimes even long released. However, I do know that one of my favorite authors, Michael J. Sullivan, the author of the Riyria books, is coming up with a new series and book one is coming out [expected] August 3rd this year and I am really really excited about it. I’m looking forward to Nolyn, the first book of The Rise and Fall series by Michael J. Sullivan

Biggest disappointment

I haven’t been disappointed yet!
I guess that’s a pretty darn good thing! 😳

Biggest surprise

I really want to say that Shards of Earth by Adrian Tchaikovsky and River Queens by Alexander Watson are my biggest surprise because they came from genres/subgenres that I rarely read (space opera and nonfiction, respectively), but if current reads count in this tag, seeing as I’m thhiiss close to finishing it, I think my biggest surprise would have to be Sons of Valor by Brian Andrew and Jeffrey Wilson because it’s been one of the two books that’s had my heart up at my throat with adrenaline and fear. Finished reads wise, I’d definitely have to give this one to Shards of Earth again.

New favorite author (debut or new to you).

I’ve discovered some amazing new authors this year! Some of my favorite includes Adrian Tchaikovsky and Rob Sinclair. Right now, I’m really enjoying Brian Andrew and Jeffrey Wilson and I adored Daniel James Sheehan’s writing.

Underrated gems you’ve discovered recently

River Queens! It’s a nonfiction book about boats and I absolutely loved it. It was definitely a gem.

Rereads this year

I haven’t finished it, but whenever I get a chance, I’ve been going back and rereading Dark of the Moon by John Sandford to rediscover the first time I was introduced to and fell in love with Virgil Flowers.

Newest fictional crush

I feel like I mentioned this somewhere or to someone, but I have definitely told at least one person that I have a new fictional book crush and that would be Idris from Shards of Earth 😊

Newest favorite character

*Ahem*…. Idris 🤭

Book that made you cry

While not comparable to some of the books, out there, that’s made me bawl my eyes out, River Queens: Saucy boat, stout mates, spotted dog, America came pretty close because there have been some beautiful moments and then some that were pretty sad and actually made me tear up. Overall though, I had a pretty tearless 2021.

Book that made you happy

I Am Not A Wolf by Dan Sheehan was humorous and satirical but the writing and the narrator put the biggest and goofiest grin on my face the entire way through the book.

Favorite book to film adaption

I don’t watch films or movies and I tend to stay away from book to film/movie adaptions because once I have my own mental image of the world and characters, using a real life cast kind of ruins that for me. I, also, can barely sit still long enough to read, let alone watch a film.

Most beautiful cover you’ve brought (or received) this year

A lot of my favorite and most beautiful covers are from previous years, but I definitely “judged based on the cover” and purchased (on a whim) The Romantic Poets, the Canterbury Classics flexibound version. I chose it because…of the glitter on the cover… I can’t find a picture on the internet that can do it enough justice than to physically hold its heft in your hand, to just feel the silky cover, and to look at the shiny glitter… Not to mention, the stunning endpapers…!

What books do you need to read by the end of the year?

I think I’ve mentioned this a couple times, but during a house move (and I’ve moved a lot in the past) I lost a really good Goodreads giveaway book but during another move, I unearthed it with some other books I thought were gone forever. I had started it and it was pretty good so I was pretty sad about it. I fully intend to restart and finish this before the end of the year.

Favorite post you have done this year?

I have a lot of favorite posts this year, but the other day, I posted my very first interview so it’s a pretty special post for me.
– Author Interview: Nathan Timmel

Some of my other personal favorites:
– Dragma’s Keep Review
– The Lore of Prometheus Review
– Shards of Earth Review
– Sci-Fi (Cyberpunk) Want to Reads
– Favorite Phone Apps

Favorite book community member

I have a lot of favorite book community members and sadly, I can’t name them all nor can I pick just one, but my favorite “communities” would be a particular group chat of mine that are always giving out free hugs and so much support be it book/blog related or life related. The United Weirdos of The Write Reads group chat is very special to me, but I love a whole lot of people from the book community and I wouldn’t be where I am without the lot of you ❤

Tagging:

The Blogger Recognition Award

Tea Corner (Blog)

Another tag post for Book Tag Thursday!

Thursday means that we are ALMOST there to the weekend. It’s so close, I could touch it…!

Today’s tag post is for The Blogger Recognition Award! I was thrilled to wake up to a notification that I had been nominated by the lovely Kerri, over at Kerri McBooknerd! Kerri, thank you so much (and lots of love to you and your blog too!) Go over and give her amazing page a visit and follow!

I’m not particularly sure who started and hosted this tag, but if you do know, please let me know so that I can give credit where credit is due ❤

The Rules:

  • Thank the blogger/s who nominated you and provide a link to their blog.
  • Write a post to show your award.
  • Give a brief story of how your blog started.
  • Give two pieces of advice to new bloggers.
  • Select up to 15 other bloggers you want to give this award to.
  • Comment (or pingback) on each blog and let them know you have nominated them and provide the link to the post you created.

How My Blog Started:

I was bored.

It was lock-down.

And everyone else was starting their own little passion projects.

I had friends with their business pages, others learning languages, some getting into or back into music…and I was doing nothing but wake up, work, and log off to do nothing. I missed reading the way I did as a kid and while it started to pick back up after I finally found the time to leisurely read again, I wanted to write. Goodreads felt stale and I so…one evening after work, I planted myself in front of the bathroom (the laptop was being charged and the other outlets were occupied) and tapped away until I had what resembled a half-way decent looking website off of WordPress and ta-dah! Cozy with Books was born!

– The Old/Original Logo –
I stayed up late one night to draw up a logo (the creative juices only ever flow after midnight) and after nearly 30 trashed doodles, I finally settled on this one.

It’s been over a year now and I’ve definitely slowed down in reading…but despite a ton of “maybe blogging is just too much for me” moments, I somehow always find my way back here. I guess I just really needed a platform, an outlet of any kind, to let loose and just scream my feels out loud to an audience, even if my audience is small. There’s just something ultra satisfying about being part of the reading and writing community, writing the reviews, and just typing. Maybe I missed high school English class assignments. Who knows. Whatever the case, I’m still here and I don’t plan on leaving any time soon.

My Advice To New Bloggers:

  • Starting to feel overwhelmed like how I do sometimes? Take a hiatus! I wanted to slowly leave the blogging world when the lock-down lifted and my work life started to become intense. I would return home on some days, exhausted to the point of staring at walls, I couldn’t read (let alone blog) and no reading meant little content for the blog since I mainly do reviews. It’s OK to take breaks. It doesn’t matter if you have to excuse yourself for a single weekend, a few days or a week, or even an entire month (or more!). It’s okay to only post once every few weeks. It’s okay if you can only make weekly bookish meme posts or only do review for the time being. Do what feels cozy to you and then come back. I sure do! Sometimes I just go poof! And that’s aaaalllright 👍
  • A little planning goes a long way! Occasionally, if I have a bunch of time-sensitive tasks, I start planning. (Say) If I have three books for tours that’s due a certain date, scattered throughout the month, I’ll start early and plan to read a set amount of pages a day. The same can go for blogging. A simple calendar is a great tool to keep track of when was your last posting date, when you want to sit down for the initial blog draft, when you want to sit for the editing, and heck, you can even schedule when you want to sit down to plan. I usually start scheduling at the head of the month on what posts I’m planning to put up for the month and it’s really helpful!

My Nominations!

Three Bookish Things Tag

Tea Corner (Blog)

Hallo hallo to you lovely lovelies!

It’s Thursday and that means it’s time for Book Tag Thursday!

I can’t remember my last tag, so I’m super excited to do these next two and for my first one, it’s the Three Bookish Things Tag! I was tagged by the awesome Danni over at For Books Sake! Go and give her wonderful blog a visit too! Thank you Danni! This was so much fun! (I sat through a rainy lunch break to write these down!)

THREE READ ONCE AND LOVED AUTHORS

  • John Sandford is one of the first authors that I picked up and never put back down. All of his books are my default “slump cures.” I read his Virgil Flowers books in [roughly] linear publishing order and his Prey series completely out of order, but so far, there has yet to be a book that’s disappointed me.
  • Amanda Prowse is my first NetGalley read. Her “The Day She Came Back” brought me to tears and while I am easily emotional with a lot of books, hers was the first to have me crying nearly every chapter. I absolutely adored her storytelling and her characters.
  • Lee Child is another one of my favorite authors. I first came across his “Gone Tomorrow” back in college and it blew it away. It was such a thrilling adventure and I ended up reading a couple of other books in the Jack Reacher series. It’s thanks to him, Sandford, and Patricia Cornwell that Mystery Thrillers became my favorite genre.

THREE TITLES I’VE WATCHED BUT HAVEN’T READ

  • Vampire Diaries – I vaguely recalled that there was a book on this, but it didn’t really hit me that…THERE ARE BOOKS ON THIS SERIES! At least…not until I started to write this post. I watched the series, with my mother, a few years back and didn’t particularly care for the show, but I do have fond bonding memories of binging this with my mother back when I had the time to do so. However, I highly doubt I will ever actually pick up the written series to read.
  • Sherlocks Holmes – Another one that my mother started to watch, a few years back, so I ended up just sitting down with her. I loved watching this show and particularly loved watching Benedict Cumberbatch as Sherlocks.
  • The Lord of the Rings – I watched the movies growing up but never thought about there being books behind the movie (not didn’t know, just wasn’t something I thought about). I had the biggest crush on Legolas (still do) and thought it was just so cool that he was walking on top of snow while everyone waddled their ways through it.

THREE CHARACTERS YOU LOVE

  • Virgil Flowers – Okay look. The VF series is my absolute favorite series of ALL TIME. Why?!? I have NO idea. I simply love it and I can always count on inhaling these books in a couple sittings. I think it’s because I ended up developing a book crush on the protagonist, but I simply love reading any of his books. So, favorite series and favorite book (Shock Wave) brings me to my favorite character. No surprise there!
  • Kiran – The bloodmage from The Shattered Sigil books! He’s adorable and he’s suffered so much. I need to give this poor boy a big hug. Like. A BIG HUG. He needs it, desperately.
  • Jalan – The cowardly prince from the Red Queens War series. He’s a coward and not afraid to admit it, but my favorite thing? His dumb luck! This guy knows he’s a coward but somehow, he’s always doing something that ends up making him look like a brave hero instead and I think it’s absolutely hilarious.

THREE SERIES BINGED

I don’t binge series, not even the Virgil Flowers series. I know that I burn out easily in a lot of things so I’m making sure I don’t saturate a given month with only one series. Even if it’s not related to burn out or boredom, I don’t binge because even the longest of series is only so many books long. I want to make sure I have a sufficient stock of slump-cure books and binging a favorite series would kill my backup 😬

THREE FAVORITE BOOK COVERS

  • I loved botany back in HS (and still do). I was especially enamored by poisonous plants so I ended up buying Wicked Plants and adored the cover. I mean…look at it!
  • The first Omnibus of The Chronicles of the Black Company is badass and I absolutely love it.
  • One of my favorite fantasy series and authors of all time (Riyria – Michael J. Sullivan); While I’ve read a handful of the books, The Rose and the Thorn is my only physical edition. I love seeing (I’m heavily assuming) Royce and Hadrian on the cover.

THREE GOALS FOR THIS YEAR

While my goal for the remainder of the year is simply to read more and post more, I also have a separate post (earlier in the year) just for my goals for 2021. You can see it riggghtt >HERE< !

I TAG:

Life in Books Book Tag

Tea Corner (Blog)

Happy Thursday! I was tagged by the lovely Kimberly over at My Bookish Bliss to do the Life In Books book tag. It’s been a while since I took part in a book tag so I couldn’t wait to play along! Enjoy my list and go check out Kimmie’s too!

If you know who the original creator of this book tag is, let us know! We’d love to give them their proper credit ♥

1] Find a book for each of your initials.

My initials are EC.

E – Eragon by Christopher Paolini
C – Children of the River by Linda Crew

2] Count your age along your bookshelf – what book is it?

My physical shelf isn’t the most impressive. It’s mixed in with nonbook items and literally an entire shelf dedicated to just journals and notebooks. By the time I reached my age, I got: Buried Prey by John Sandford over at my tiny second shelf…across my room!

3] Name a book set in your city/country.

My favorite book set in New York City is one I read as a kid, one of the Dear America diary books. We never learned about this in school, not even in history class, but it did pop up in a Women’s History course I took in uni and to my shock, nobody knew about this event because it was one of those historical fiction events that really stuck with me because it was terrifying and truly sad.

4] Name a book that represents a destination you’d love to travel to.

I’m not particularly adventurous, physically. I rather sit in a garden and lounge (at home) and read. But, I have always wanted to visit England so for this book, I chose a Sherlock Holmes book.

5] Name your favorite childhood book.

I think I used this and question 7’s books in one of my posts from last week (Books of My Childhood), but I think it comes down to Corduroy and A Little Princess. I’d have to give this question to Corduroy as my all time favorite because it was part of ESL class and were it not for ESL, I wouldn’t be able to read any books in English!

6] Name a book that’s your favorite color.

I love a lot of colors and they change everyday! For this post, I’m feeling very green and a green book on my shelf is from back when I had a huge love of botany back in HS.

7] Which book do you have the fondest memories of?

I used to say that I wouldn’t mind losing all my books if I could just keep this one. I don’t re-read books often but I re-read A Little Princess over and over so it’s pretty precious to me. I think it was just especially important to me because my mother taught me how important an imagination is and this book focused so heavily on turning to imagination during hard times.

8] Which book did you have the most difficulty reading?

Definitely Glen Cook’s Black Company. So much so, that I will eventually have to go back and read book 1 again (I have the omnibus and only made it through the first book so far) because by the end of it, I had no idea what is happening, no idea what happened, and couldn’t understand what I just read. I know that it was a pretty good book so I will have to go and give it a second chance. Soon or later…

9] Which book in your TBR pile will give you the biggest accomplishment when you finish it?

I generally stick to 290 – 490 paged books so I’d have to give this one to The way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson, the biggest book on my shelf.

That’s all for this tag! I had a great time doing it (and tags) again and hope that you enjoyed my list too! I had a hard time deciding between my favorite book and the most fondest book, but I’m always down for a little challenge.

I’m going to tag: Pam, Allona, Colleen, Haadu, and Ashley!

This or That Book Tag

Tea Corner (Blog)

Thank you Cassie for tagging me in the This or That book tag! It was such a fun tag and a great to end my weekend! Please take a look at her blog too because she’s awesome 💓

☆ Rules ☆

  • Mention the creator of the tag (A huge thank you to Ayunda, over at @ Tea and Paperbacks, for creating this!)
  • Thank the blogger who tagged you! Thank you Cassie! Go shower her blog with lots of love too!
  • Tag 10 other people to do the tag and spread the love!

☆ Reading on the Couch or on the Bed? ☆

I can’t read on any soft surfaces/furniture. I slowly get sleepy and never get anywhere. The best place for me to read is at my desk with a cup of tea and my book on the table. If I had to choose though, it’d be the couch. I will fall asleep if I read in bed.

☆ Sweet or Salty Snacks While Reading? ☆

I don’t like to eat while reading, mainly due to getting sticky sweets or oily foods all over my books. If I do have snacks with me, I tend to pop one in my mouth and not stop until the whole plate’s wiped clean before I even get a chapter in (heehee oops?). However, since I do drink tea while reading, sweets tend to pair better with it. Chocolate covered almonds are a perfect treat!

☆ Trilogies or Quartets? ☆

Unless it’s a series with a case by case plot (like most police procedural or mystery/crime thriller series), I tend to get bored. Quartets are a bit too long because most of the time, I’m already “series fatigued” by the end of book two so a trilogy is just right.

☆ First Person or Third Person POV? ☆

Third. If I had to pick and read only one POV for the rest of my life, I’d still go with third.

☆ Night or Morning Reader? ☆

On weekdays, I don’t have the time to read in the morning and on weekends, I’m too busy catching up on precious Zzzs to read in the morning. I’m a zombie before my coffee and by the time breakfast is done with, it’s closer to noon or afternoon so reading then wouldn’t count. I’m definitely a night reader.

☆ Libraries or Bookstore? ☆

I prefer bookstores. Barnes and Nobles (at least the ones I’ve been to) all have coffee shops in them so I can grab a drink and start making my way through all of the aisles. I love their clearance sections where I can find all sorts of genres just thrown into one shelf/cart and you’re introduced to new things. They usually have a journal, bookish goods, toys, writing, and gift areas too. I do love my local library though, because in bookstores, I feel the pressure that I NEED to buy something if I spend so long in the store versus a library, I can spend it reading my own book and leave not feeling guilty for staying for a spell. Still, I prefer bookstores because they’re just so magical.

☆ Books that Make you Laugh or Make you Cry? ☆

I’ve read books that have given me a good chuckle and books where I cried from the first to the last page. I like the laughing books more. Sad books make me sad.

☆ Black or White Book Covers? ☆

I like my shelf in a rainbow 🌈

☆ Character Driven or Plot Driven? ☆

Both are important, of course, but I find myself way more invested in the characters than in the plot. Which is why I love fanfictions so much. So long as the writers keep everyone in character, I love seeing them in an array of different settings and alternate universes, not just the original main plot (coffee shop AUs anyone?)

☆ I tag ☆

☆ Colleen over at Colleen’s Conclusions
☆ Caroline over at Page-Turners
☆ Naomi over at Naomi’s Reading Corner
☆ Carmen over at Carmen’s Reading Corner
☆ Karen over at Twisted in Pages
☆ Sammie over at The Bookwyrm’s Den
☆ Jessica over at Just Reading Jess
☆ Dani over at My Heart is Booked
☆ Hayley over at Hayley’s Book Room
☆ Lily over at Lily Reads

The Sunshine Blogger Award Tag

Tea Corner (Blog)

A huge thank you to Tabitha over at Behind the Pages and Mònica over at Nightingfae for tagging me in this award. Please take a moment to take a look at both of their amazing blogs as well 💓

What is the Sunshine Blogger Award?

The Sunshine Blogger Award is given to those who are creative, positive and inspiring while spreading sunshine to the blogging community.

How does it work?

  • Thank the blogger(s) who nominated you in a blog post and link back to their blog.
  • Answer the 11 questions sent by the person who nominated you.
  • Nominate 11 new blogs to receive the award and write them 11 new questions.
  • List the rules and display the Sunshine Blogger Award logo in your post and/or on your blog.

Tabitha’s Questions

Why did you become a blogger?

I was bored during quarantine and with all of my friends starting their own little quarantine projects, small businesses, and art projects, I wanted to have my own little project too. Blogging wasn’t the first thing to pop in my mind, but I knew I wanted to spend more time reading.

What is your favorite part about blogging?

Meeting new people that share the same interest. I don’t get to chat about books (and their subsequent book hangovers) much with my friends so it’s nice to have people that understand why you’re sobbing over a character or book.

What is your least favorite part about blogging?

Putting your heart into a post that gets maybe 10 views. Going in, I never thought about the whole behind-the-scenes aspect of blogging, so it never really occurred to me to look into this whole SEO thing until now. Funny enough, this doesn’t bother me as much anymore.

What book are you looking forward to reading the most off of your to read pile?

I’m looking forward to re-reading the first book of the Chronicles of the Black Company and another book that I had recently unearthed (long thought to have been lost forever), Dome City Blues. I’m currently going through a bit of a mercenary and cyberpunk phase.

Both Covers from Goodread. Links to their pages >HERE< and >HERE<

Who is the latest author you’ve added to your favorites list?

Amanda Prowse because her book, The Day She Came Back, had me crying nearly every other chapter. I’ve never cried so much, while reading, before!

What was the last book you finished reading? Did you like it?

The last book I read was “The Contractor” by David Scott Meyers and while it wasn’t bad, I didn’t particularly LIKE it either. Still, I’m invested enough to keep going (I want to see how it ends.)

What advice do you have for new bloggers?

Make sure to take breaks when you need them. Don’t feel pressured to stick to a posting schedule and have fun!

What is your favorite social media to interact with fellow readers?

TWITTER!

How do you overcome a reading slump?

Fanfictions and Ao3 always gets me back into the right mood. I don’t know where I’d be without fanfictions in my life. I also regularly “treat” myself to a book in a favorite series if I’m in a slump or just came out of a bad book.

What is your preferred way to read?

Physical at home, on my phone if I’m out on errands (those loonnngg lines!), and on my Kindle if I’m commuting.

Describe yourself with a book title.

Bad Luck and Trouble by Lee Child 😭

Mònica’s Questions

What’s the origin of your blog name?

I literally changed my blog name several times in the beginning. There’s no cool origin story other than throwing some words together. Fun fact, the first name I had given my blog was “Good Fish” (a play on Goodreads) or “Good Fish Reads,” Why? NO idea. I kind of wish I kept it 🤔

When and why did you decide to become a blogger?

I think it was around March or April of this year (2020)? It was during my work-from-home period. I saw all of my friends starting their own passion projects and, being bored out of my mind, I had nothing else to do so…I went for it! (Best decision all year!)

What’s the best book you’ve read so far this year?

Shockwave by John Sandford. I can’t explain why this is my default book to recommend when people ask for a book rec, but the adrenaline I felt with this book blew me away (pun intended).

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Who’s in your top 3 of favourite authors?

Oof. This is a hard question! I’d have to say Lee Child, John Sandford and Michael J. Sullivan. Lee got me into my favorite genre (Mystery Thrillers), Sandford for my favorite series (Virgil Flowers), and Michael for my favorite Fantasy series (Riyria).

Which character you hate/dislike the most, and why?

I’m pretty sure I have a big a** crush on Virgil Flowers. Why? He’s a good looking cop, I like his sense of humor, and has pretty decent morals. He always tries his best to avoid violence. I also LOVE Prince Jalan from the Red Queen’s War series because he’s a loveable coward with shitty luck. Jalan comes in for a very close second place!

If you could meet one character, which one would it be, and why?

Kiran from Whitefire Crossing. He’s a bloodmage who is trying to run from his horrible master. I want to meet him just so I can give him a hug. That boy needs a hug.

Do you prefer second-handed or new books?

New books, but I truly don’t mind second hand as long as they’re in pretty decent shape. For example, my Black Company omnibus came in great condition. It’s a paperback with no creases, no dogears and the binding is great. Now…if only it didn’t smell like VOMIT…(apparently that’s from poorly kept books with acidic pages??).

My all-time favorite books are books off library carts(or sidewalk cardboard boxes) with the sign, “Take me! Free books!” Now those books become my favorite books and it feels like I’m adopting a book, ya know? While new books are fantastic (who doesn’t want new books?) in retrospect, I guess I really do tend to lean more towards second-hand books.

Which is your favourite book-to-movie/TV series adaptation?

I don’t think I’ve seen a book to movie/TV series show before (besides HP). I think I’ve mentioned in another tag post, once I’ve established my own mental images of characters, I refuse to have them re-casted. It would ruin the book for me and so…none for me 😂 (I also…don’t watch TV or have Netflix/Hulu/Etc.)

Do you have more than one copy of a book? If yes, which one?

Yes 😅 Both the Kindle and the Paperback version of the first omnibus (first 3 books) of the Chronicles of the Black Company.

Do you create playlists for your favourite books? Share them if you do!

No, unfortunately 😦
However, I can share my favorite relaxation (type? format? method?)! It’s a two tab, two video at once deal! One is a bar ambience video on loop (doors opening, people chatting, glass clinking, etc.) and the other is what I like to call “Cafe Jazz.” Together, they help create a nice little café mood setting.

My Questions

  1. If you could wipe your mind of ONE book/series, just so you can experience it for the first time again, what books/series would it be for?
  2. Do you have a favorite book couple? Who are they?
  3. Pick your favorite book setting and then pick your favorite real life setting. What are they?
  4. If you could meet a character and interview them, what are your top three questions?
  5. If your favorite character was granted three genie wishes, what would they wish for?
  6. If YOU had three bookish wishes, what would YOU wish for?
  7. What is your favorite type of blog post?
  8. Do you enjoy writing your posts in the morning or night?
  9. Would your favorite book/series make for a good video game? How about a movie or TV show?
  10. You’re stuck in jail with the last character you read. What’re your chances of breaking out?
  11. What is your favorite genre to read?

I Tag

Caroline over at Page-Turners – Book Reviews by Caroline
Madeline over at Mad’s Books
Colleen over at Colleen’s Conclusions
Vee over at Vee_Bookish
Pam over at The Picky Bookworm
Isabella over at The Shaggy Shepherd
Raji over at Worlds Unlike Our Own
Mani over at Mani’s Book Corner
Kimberly over at My Bookish Bliss
John over at Tales from Absurdia
Peyton over at Word Wilderness

Stay At Home Book Tag

Tea Corner (Blog)

I spent 9 years (almost 10) in Buffalo before moving back to the city I grew up in. Now I’m closer than ever to (half) of my family and I can’t even visit many of them. 2020 has been a long and hard year, but I don’t think anyone needs me to say that 😣. As an office worker, I was able to work from home for a couple months, having since returned to the office back in June. It was during the lockdown that I was able to start Cozy with Books and read more than I ever had in a year!

Thank you so much to Nikki for tagging me! Go check out her awesome blog and post too!

The Rules

  • Thank the person who tagged you!
  • Answer all the questions (listed below).
  • Pingback to the creator (Ellyn @Allonsythornraxx).
  • Nominate 5+ bloggers you’d like to know more about, to do this tag (listed at the end of this post).

What are you currently reading?

I wanted to put The Eye of the World here because I’ve been trying to get past the first few chapters since I started the book maybe 1-2 months ago (ahhaha), but at this point, I think it’s fair to say that I’ve given up and it’ll get read when it…gets read…

My current reads now for now is a mix between new books, older books (rereads), and an MS (a request). The current read I’m most excited to get through would be Storm Front, the next book up in the Virgil Flowers series and honestly, with the libraries opening back up, I was just excited to have an excuse to go to the library again. Virgil Flowers is my excuse to everything.

The New Books:
Mordecai’s Ashes by Arlana Crane
The Light in the Hallway by Amanda Prowse
Storm Front by John Sandford

The Rereads:
Luck in the Shadows by Lynn Flewelling
Prisoner by Megan Derr

What is your favorite “can’t leave the house” activity?

Besides the very obvious reading 😉? I enjoy playing video games on my switch (shoutouts to Dragon’s Dogma and Coffee Talk, I love you both!). I also enjoy making a cup of tea, forgetting that I made the cup of tea (for hours), and then sipping the now cold tea……while doing nothing but scrolling through my phone. Hey! Twittering is an activity, right??

What is a book you’ve been meaning to read forever?

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I have been meaning to start Gardens of the Moon by Steve Erikson since forever and ever ago. I have the Kindle copy and it just sits there. I picked this book up back when I was simply looking for a fantasy book, not knowing how big, complicated, and popular it was. To me, it was just scrolling through GR and landing on a cool looking fantasy. I have heard it’s complicated and complex to read and I’m just…intimidated by it. I’m sure I’m just overthinking it and all I really need to do is “just do it,” but I’ve been stalling…uh for uh…years.

What is an intimidating book on your TBR?

Well…oop! Gardens of the Moon would’ve fit this question perfectly, huh? Good thing I’m scared of multiple books on my TBR 😂

My next most intimidating book would probably be The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson. It would be my first introduction to Sanderson and I’ll be ready to read it…someday. Honestly, it’s a tome and the only thing stopping me isn’t the fear of a large book…but the lack of a comfortable reading position for I have no proper desk, couch, or even a sofa where I currently live.

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What are the three top-priority books on your TBR?

Of course, things like review request books or Netgalley reads are obviously the books I ought to be tackling first… however, outside of that, these are the top three books I want to get started on right away!

The Thousand Names by Wexler, Django
The Red Knight by Miles Cameron
The Shadow Over Innsmouth by H.P. Lovecraft (this was the top recommended book when I had asked for a read similar to Bloodborne, the game.)

Recommend a short book!

I couldn’t find a book shorter than 300 pages on my list of books (that I liked enough to recommend) so I’m going to have to throw out a graphic novel instead. Having watched the anime first and then jumping into the manga, I recommend reading Blood Blockage Battlefront by the creator of Trigun, Yasuhiro Nightow. It’s been a long time since I last read a manga and I throughly enjoyed the book and anime. If you want a quick summary, a portal has opened up between the netherworlds and earth. Taking place in New York City, humans now have to learn to coexist with the demons, monsters, and the otherworldly creatures that have crossed over.

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Recommend a long book!

Gone Tomorrow by Lee Child is my first introduction to Child and his Jack Reacher series. Nabbed off the “Free! Take me!” cart at my college’s library, it was just a random cool looking book. Plus. Free. Duh.

This book was fast paced and exciting and I really need to dig it out and reread it. I loved it from the first page to the last and was the book to kick start my years worth of reading slumps. Between this and Flesh and Blood by Patricia Cornwell, it is also one of the books responsible for me falling in love with my favorite genre: mystery thrillers.

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What do you plan on reading next?

As I’ve never really finished a series before (not even a trilogy!) I look forward to completing my first: The Shattered Sigil Trilogy. I’ve read the first two books with me flying through the first book. The second book was a little harder to get through, but it was still a pretty good read! Now I look forward to reading the last book: The Labyrinth of Flame by Courtney Schafer.

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I tag:

(Apologies if you’ve been tagged before or have already done this tag!)

Behind The Blogger Tag

Tea Corner (Blog)

I was tagged by Nikki Swift Reads a couple of weeks back. I keep meaning to do and post this but I guess with quarantine starting to wind down, my to-do list is getting longer and my free time is getting shorter 😱. I finally took a moment to go through and get this in. Thank you Nikki for the tag! Sorry for the wait hahaha. I had a lot of fun doing this!

Rules:
  🐧 Thank the person who nominated you
  🐧 Answer all the questions down below
  🐧 Pingback to the creator: Ellyn @ Allonsythornraxx
  🐧 Nominate 5+ bloggers you’d like to know more about, to do this tag

Why did you start blogging? & Why have you kept blogging?

Long Answer: During the C19 quarantine/lockdown, I was inspired by people’s “quarantine projects.” People were starting their own baking pages and online businesses. Some people were learning how to code or learn new languages. Motivated, with a side order of boredom, a book blog just sounded right (and fun) at the time and allowed me to practice writing reviews too. As a [ex?]fanfic writer, I used to love any comments left on my stories. I figured that maybe authors would love feedback and reviews just as much as I loved kudos and comments, ya? I just wasn’t any good at writing reviews (I was all over the place) so a blog was the perfect place to practice.

Short Answer: Boredom 😃

Will I keep blogging? I enjoy writing reviews for my blog because it’s a place where I can just blab and dump my feelings (rather than grab some poor soul and ramble about this AMAZING book I just read).
I am anticipating that, post-quarantine, my free time will dwindle back to (what feels like) nothing. However, when working from home, my lunch breaks are spent with family where I would chat away the hour. Back in the office, my lunch breaks were spent on reading so I can only hope that, with my return to the office, I will start powering through my “Currently Reading” books again.

What is your favorite type of blog post to write?

My favorite type of blog post are reviews! Though…I guess I haven’t written enough posts just yet to deviant away from currently reading or book review posts. I love writing for the book tag posts as well! Getting tagged feels so special. It always brings a smile to my face when I get tagged (like thank you so much for remembering me 😭)
I love book reviews so much because by the time I’m done with a book, I’m staring blankly at the wall with my mouth wide open like 😱 “What just happened?!?” After sorting my thoughts out and picking up the pieces of my brain back up, I love hammering out a post where I can basically fan girl over a good book.

What are your top three favorite blog posts you wrote?

As a new[ish] blog, I haven’t written much just yet, but my top three favorite blog posts are:

My first book tag: Would You Rather Book Tag

My first book review [current reads] book review: Field of Prey [Book Review]

and My first ARC [post blog-inception] book review: Reaper: Drone Strike [Review]

What are some of your favorite things to do to relax?

Does napping count? I love to read when winding down. I take notes when reading books for reviews (and for those huge fantasy series with endless names) so I can’t really relax when reading those kind of books. So when I am reading for relaxation, I like to read smaller leisure reads; things like fanfictions and ao3 fics, especially the 60+ chapter ones, are my favorite leisure reads! I even found a way to import it to my Kindle!
I enjoy a good gaming session as well.

What are three of your favorite things?

  1. Ducks. I don’t know why I love ducks so much.
  2. Medical Documentaries (Such as the Ambulance (British Doc) or Temple Street Children’s hospital. I always end up crying every episode. I love watching Youtuber Chubbyemu as well! I occasionally watch surgery videos for no reason.
  3. Games. I am waiting for the Harvest Moon: Mineral Town remake to release next month!!

What are your proudest blogging moments?

> I am very proud of hitting 100 followers.
> Starting my blog.
> Breaking out of my shell to interact with the blogging community.

What are your hobbies outside of blogging?

I enjoy playing video games and reading. I also love to write shorts (but I could never write a book). Recently, I have been learning how to play the Kalimba and I’m (vveerryy slowly) working my way through the Big Fish & Begonia song tabs.

Describe your personality in three words

Excitable

Intense

Empathetic

What are your top three pet peeves?

  1. Assuming things when you were not present to witness.
  2. Chewing with your mouth open.
  3. A couple or a group slowly walking and taking the entire sidewalk.

What’s something your followers don’t know about you?

I only started to use emojis (more) in these last few months. Typing them out was so much faster than scrolling through the sea of yellow emojis just to find the one. I still can’t find the happy tear emoji though :’)

I Tag:
Delaney over at Book Lovers Lifting and Crushing

Pamela over at The Picky Bookworm

Vee over at Vee Reading

Cass over at Bookish Cass

Leona over at An Antidote for Boredom

Reading Habits Book Tag

Tea Corner (Blog)

It’s Thursday! Happy Thursday! It means that Friday is just around the corner! I saw a post, this morning, from Madeline over at Mad’s Books and thought it looked fun! She tagged everyone who read her post to do it too. So I figured, why not? I am going to keep the same chain tag going so if anyone reading this wants to try it out themselves, feel free to!

Do you have a certain place at home for reading?

Nope! I like to read anywhere in the house. I take book notes often so I have more of a preference towards anywhere with a large flat surface (desks!), but I can read anywhere. I’ve gotten restless during exciting scenes and have paced the living room while reading before!

Bookmark or random piece of paper?

Napkins, pens, my phone, receipts, and those 365 “rip off a page everyday” calendars (that’s like 365 different bookmarks!) . I tend to lose my bookmarks very easily so everyday junk paper seems like a financially smarter choice 😅

Can you just stop reading or do you have to stop after a chapter/a certain amount of pages?

I prefer to stop after a chapter, because it feels like a natural break, but I can stop anywhere. In fact, I’d say, most of the time I would be stopping mid-page and mid-chapter.

Do you eat or drink while reading?

Tea or coffee, but no food (crumbs & greasy fingers 😩).

Multitasking: music or TV while reading?

I don’t have the superpower of multitasking so I can’t watch TV while reading (How?? That’s like two plots at the same time! Maybe if you’ve mastered listening to audiobooks while reading?) I don’t mind a little lofi or the ambience of glass clinking (like a cafe or bar), but I tend to read when it’s nice and quiet.

One book at a time or several at once?

I like to read one book at a time. However, if I happen to have a Kindle book and a physical book, I will read two at once. Kindle, so I can read at night and when commuting and physical books when I’m home.

Reading at home or everywhere?

I like to “curl up with a good book” at home. I do enjoy reading during commutes because time just flies by (planes/trains), but I get sick reading in the car or on ships :/

Reading out loud or silently in your head?

Definitely silently.

Breaking the spine or keeping it like new?

I try to keep my physical books in their best conditions, but I wouldn’t be too sad if I messed up the spine.

Do you write in your books?

I like to take notes in a notebook, though I occasionally feel the mood to annotate my books. If I know I am forever keeping a book, sometimes I like to highlight my favorite quotes, scenes, definitions and make side bar notes.

Readabits Questions:

When do you find yourself reading?

I read during lunch breaks at work. In the evenings, I read after dinner and before bed. I also like to read on the train and occasionally sneak in a page or two during long lines at the store on my phone’s Kindle app.

What is your best setting to read in?

My bed, preferably under a warm blanket and a warm drink in reach. As summer approaches, I’d say my best setting is reading outside.

What do you do first, read or watch?

I don’t watch…shows…or movies… :’)
But if I did I must read the book first. Movies are done with after 1-3 hours and contain spoilers. I rather read about those scenes first and watch them come to life later.

What form do you prefer? Audiobook, E-Book, or Physical?

I like e-books and physical books equally as much. I don’t listen to audiobooks though. However, when it comes to physical books that I need to digest and process or learn from (textbooks, nonfiction, etc.) they have to be matte physical books. I once had a glossy Tax Principles textbook (like extra shiny) and…I couldn’t concentrate :/

Do you have a unique habit when you read?

I have a very bad commentating problem and I have pretty dramatic reactions to scenes.

Do book series have to match?

If I intend to collect my favorite series and place them on my bookshelf, I prefer they match. Otherwise, I don’t mind. I have series that are a mix of Kindle/Physical, different book covers, and different book types (one book is Hardcover, another is Mass Market Paperback.

And You?

Do you have any reading habits? If you are interested, have a go at this tag yourself and let me know! I had tons of fun and hope you do too!